The federal government fails to honor obligations to National Guard members
Peter Lucier
When Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, he did so under the protection and observation of 26,000 National Guardsmen. These men and women were activated from across the nation, spurred on by the events of Jan. 6, when a violent mob stormed the Capitol building intent on subverting a free and fair election.
And yet, despite wearing the same uniform of U.S. troops all over the world, it is unclear if these men and women will be entitled to the same pay and benefits as active-duty or reserve troops wearing the same uniform. Due to a broken system of complicated legal authorities, and disregard for the promises made to those who volunteer to serve our nation.
The National Guard troops protecting the Capitol were activated under Title 32 of the U.S. code, a subsection referred to as 502(f) orders, which are typically utilized to deploy the National Guard in response to natural disasters. These 502(f) orders were also used to deploy the Guard to the southern border, and more recently, in response to COVID-19.
https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/commentary/2021/01/25/the-federal-government-fails-to-honor-obligations-to-national-guard-members/
